All About Jesus, The Lord of the Lord's Day

"For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:8).
"Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:28).
"The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath" (Luke 6:5).

"But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God" (Exodus 20:10).

Note: The seventh day of the week, the Sabbath and the Lord's Day are the same.

When was the Lord's Day (Sabbath) established?

"And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made" (Genesis 2:2, 3).

Note: The seventh day of the week was set aside, blessed and sanctified at the end of creation week.

Why was the Sabbath established?

"It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed" (Exodus 31:17).

"I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them" (Ezekiel 20:12).

"Hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God" (Ezekiel 20:20).

Note: The Sabbath was established to be a sign between the Lord and His people forever, that He is their Lord and the One who sanctifies them!

Was the Sabbath made only for the Jews (Children of Israel)?

"And He said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).

Note: When Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man, the word "man" means all "mankind"--for all people, for all time, in every place. It's beginning was at creation, centuries before the first Israelite, and it will continue to be kept in the earth made new (see Isaiah 66:22, 23).

What day did Jesus keep holy?

"And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read" (Luke 4:16).

Note: Jesus is our example. Sabbath keeping was His custom. A 'custom" is a regular habit. Christians are to walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6).

What was Paul's custom regarding the Sabbath?

"Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures" (Acts 17:2).

"And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks" (Acts 18:4).

Note: It was also Paul's custom to keep the seventh-day Sabbath.

Did Jesus intend for His people to keep the Sabbath after His crucifixion and resurrection?

"And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath" (Matthew 24:20).

Note: Jesus was here predicting the fall of Jerusalem, which He knew would take place in the future. In AD 70 (about 40 years later), an army of Rome destroyed Jerusalem. It is clear that Jesus expected His people to be keeping the Sabbath holy long after His death.

Does the Bible teach that God's end-time people will keep holy His seventh-day Sabbath?

"And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God" (Revelation 12:17).

"Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:12).

"Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city" (Revelation 22:14).

Note: The above Scriptures obviously refer to God's end-time church, and each passage states plainly that God's end-time church keeps His commandments--which include the fourth commandment, the Sabbath.

Will all of the saved in heaven keep the Sabbath?

"For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me," says the Lord, "So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me," says the Lord (Isaiah 66:22, 23).

Note: The Bible teaches that all the redeemed of all ages will keep God's Sabbath together in the new earth.

Can we be certain that the present seventh day of the week (Saturday) is the same Sabbath day that Jesus kept holy?

"That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared" (Luke 23:54-24:1).

Note: Jesus was crucified on Friday (preparation), the day before the Sabbath (Mark 15:42). Jesus rested in the tomb on the Sabbath of the commandment (Luke 23:56), then rose on the first day--the day after the Sabbath (Mark 16:1-6). Christians around the world still celebrate that day as Easter Sunday. The Bible clearly shows that the Sabbath was the day after Friday "preparation" and the day before Sunday "the first day of the week".

When does the Sabbath begin and end?

"At evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath" (Leviticus 23:32).

"At evening, when the sun had set" (Mark 1:32)

Note: The Sabbath hours begin at sundown Friday and close at sundown Saturday.

What blessing is promised by the Sabbath commandment?

"And God rested on the seventh day from all His works... There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest" (Hebrews 4:4, 9-11).

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

"My Presence will go with you, and I will give your rest" (Exodus 33:14).

"If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth" (Isaiah 58:13, 14).

Note: The Bible often uses the term "rest" to refer to salvation. Hebrews 4:1, 4, 9, 10 says that those who have truly been led to the "rest" of conversion and who abide in Christ will keep the seventh-day Sabbath as a symbol of the Christian rest. Those who keep the "Lord's Day" holy honor the Lord of the "Lord's Day" and the Lord promises, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give your rest" (Exodus 33:14).

The Sabbath is a sign (Ezekiel 20:12) of a special relationship (Exodus 33:14) between the Lord and His people forever. The Lord of the Lord's day is the Lord who is our God and who sanctifies us. There is no other day that is blessed, sanctified and holy (see Genesis 2:3).

To God be the Glory!

God came to live with us (Matthew 1:21-23; John 1:10).
He came to bless us (Jeremiah 29:11-14).
He came to reveal the Father to us (John 14:9; 2 Cor. 4:4; 2 Cor. 5:19).
He came to show us the way to the Father's house (John 14:2-4).
He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
He came to reveal the way of life, Vs the way of death (John 10:10; Eze. 33:11; Gen. 4:7; John 14:15).
He came to save us and not to condemn us (John 3:16, 17).
He came to love us (Jer. 31:3).
He wants a personal relationship with us (Rev. 3:20).
He came to adopt us into His family and give us eternal life (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1; John 17:3).

What more can we ask? Fallen men and women are placed where through connection with Christ, they may become the "Sons and daughters of God."

After all He has done for us, why would we not want to celebrate His creation and love for us on His holy day?